How long is a piece of string. (1 Viewer)

[redhugh]

Brad,for many years i collected mint Royal Mail stamps and have several albums in the loft.But as you said i also lost interest and the value of my collection is probably not that high.As Pat said anyone starting a collection should do it for the passion and interest of it.This is what drives my Toy Soldier collection,its the fascination for the two world wars that keeps me interested and while i every respect for anyone who sells stuff on ebay when i buy something i keep it.

I only hope that traditional collections such as Cigarette cards,Model Trains,War comics,stamps etc don't die out altogether as that would be a real shame.

Rob

Stamp collecting used to be fun and an inexpensive hobby for me , in the sense that stamps could be collected for free from a wide variety of sources and you didn't need much money other than for stamp hinges and a stamp book, having collected for a few years when I was younger , the one thing I got out of it , was that I was familiar with the name and flag of every country in the world and many bits of trivia arising from themed releases,it was fun for a few years when I was much younger but have no interest in it now, other than the odd time when an ebay parcel comes in covered in nice unusual stamps, like one I got from Jersey Island recently

 

[Mister Dave]

Stamp collecting used to be fun and an inexpensive hobby for me , in the sense that stamps could be collected for free from a wide variety of sources and you didn't need much money other than for stamp hinges and a stamp book, having collected for a few years when I was younger , the one thing I got out of it , was that I was familiar with the name and flag of every country in the world and many bits of trivia arising from themed releases,it was fun for a few years when I was much younger but have no interest in it now, other than the odd time when an ebay parcel comes in covered in nice unusual stamps, like one I got from Jersey Island recently

Funny you mention this, as I have never collected stamps as a hobby, though I usually save stamps from parcels that are really interesting. Most recently I have purchased a few toy soldiers from an ebay seller on Jersey, and have kept the beautiful stamps on the wrapping paper they arrrived in.

By the way, I have > 950 comic books I'd love to sell if anybody is interested.

MD

 

[jazzeum]

Pat,

Very interesting post. I used to be interested in trains for awhile but I never got the impression that it was a dying hobby because kids love trains and some of the locomotives that were being made were getting very sophisticated so I assumed there must be some interest in it. However, I'm sure your brother must be right. Too bad. Maybe John (njja) will comment as he is very knowledgeable about the train hobby.

 

[tdubel]

A lot of interesting points made here as I have very extensive

1. US Stamp Collection
2. US Coin/Banknote Collection
3. Lionel/American Flyer/HO (from my Dad)
4. Comics

Comments, I collect Stamps b/c I still like the year sets. The old US still have retained some value, no appreciation, but the key stamps still have value - Columbians, Trans Miss, 1870s Banknotes, 1847 1 and 2, the 1860s Black jacks, 90 c Perrys, etc.

Coins- actually appreciated with the precious metals market, some very recent Proof sets are high in value right now. Old Banknotes are scarce and out of sight in price, I have several old horse blankets $5 American Indian cert, they have held value. Also, my Confederate States stamps, bank notes and Bonds have held value.

Trains - still a viable hobby thus far, but suffering from what I think are the same issues in this hobby. High costs, aging collectors, etc. However, in my collection alone, some key pieces still as they say "bring it", namely the original American Flyer Circus Train and any of the Lionel "General 440s".

Comics - oh boy, collect these b/c you like them, I have a lot around various themes I have interest in - Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan and tv related Issues, but don't collect these as an investment. I always buy low, look for lower grades, etc, this is a true hobby.

As with anything, do it b/c you like it, not to make you rich. IF you want to make money, sell it all and become a dealer, that is the only way.

TD